Illuminated street-car sign.



No. 63l,700. Patented Aug. 22, |899.

' E.E. DDDGE.

ILLUMINATED'STREET CAR SIGN.

(Application led June 8, 1899.)

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UNITED STATESv PATENT CFFICE.

EDWARD E. DODGE, .OF PROVIDENCE, RHODE ISLAND.` y

lLu-U MINA-TED 'STREET-CAR SIG Ni sPncrFrcA'rIoN forming part f Letters Patent No. 631,700, a'atefivA/ugust 22, 1899.

l Application filed Tune 8, 1899.l Serial No. 719,841. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern,.-

Be it known that I, EDWARD E. DODGE, a citizen of the United States of America, and a resident of the city and county of Providence, in the State of Rhode Island, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Illuminated Street-Oar Signs, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to the novel construction of an indicator to Vbe attached upon the roof of electric trolleyca'rs. I

It consists of the combination, witha car, of vertical pipes or standards secured to the roof of the car, anelbow connected at the upper end of said pipes,with inwardly-extending pipes from said elbows, a bracket having` its ends bent vata right angle and provided with a circular orice at each` extremity thereof, said bracket adj ustably mounted upon the said extending pipes through said orifices, a reflector attached to said bracket, electric lamps fastened to the inner ends of said extending pipes, a rectangular rotatable end piece mounted upon said extending pipes and close to the said standards, an indicator-y sign adjustably secured upon each face ofthe said end pieces, an adjustable clutch-sleeve mounted upon one. of said extending pipes, between said end piece and said elbow, a coilspring surroundingthe said extending pipe to bear against the inner side of said end piece, an adjustable collar ymounted upon the' said pipe at the opposite end of said spring, with a coil-spring situated between the oppo site end piece and elbow, respectively, and surrounding the extending pipe, as hereinafter described and claimed. 'In the accompanying sheet of drawings, Figure l represents a longitudinal elevation of the sign as attached to the roof of a car. Fig. 2 is a topplan longitudinal section of the sign. Fig. 3 is an enlarged transverse section taken in line of the same. Fig. 4 is a central longitudinal section of one end portion of the indicator, showing the clutch or locking device and manner of clamping the sign-frames .to the end piece. Fig. 5 is a front end elevation of the end piece with one sign as clamped thereon. Fig. 6 'is a front elevation of one of the indicator-signs.

yshape form in cross-section.

Similar letters of reference correspond to like parts in the drawings.

R designates the roof of the car,` upon which are secured flange-steps a, provided with a centrally circular screw threadedV aperture which receives the vertical pipes or standards b, having circumferentially-screw-threaded ends at their top portion to receive an elbow c, with inwardly-extending pipes d from said elbowA and circumferentially screw-threaded Yat either end thereof, all this material consisting of the ordinary gas pipe and fitting construction.

A reflector c is attached to a bracket f, 'extending parallel with the pipes d, said bracket having its end portions bent at a right angle and provided with a centrally-circular orifice at each extremity thereof. This bracket is secured in a fixed position upon the .inner screw-threaded ends of the pipes d, which pass through said orifices, by the check-nuts Q, and the bracket not only supports the re- Hector, but also retains the pipes d in alinement with each other. -y Incandescent electric lampsl h h are fastened upon the projecting' ends of the said pipes and within the offset formed by the bracket f, said lamps receiving the electric current by means of the car-motor through the conductor 1), which passes through the piping heretofore described to the shanksocket of the lamps.

A is the indicator, mounted and rotatable upon the'horizontal pipes d, and is constructed as follows Rectangular end pieces B, having a centrally-located hub provided with a circular aperture, are mounted vuponv the said pipes close to the standards. Said end pieces have an,outwardly-projecting'iangej formed around the four edges thereof and giving a Hat surface, upon which the destination-signs are attached. v

'C is the glass sign, lettered and colored to suit thatof the route over which the car is passing and having its longitudinal edges overlapped by a metallic strip'K of a U (See Fig. 3.)

Said strip projects beyond the ends iof'the glass, and between the projected ends of the said stripsthin wooden'strips Z`are"located and border the end edges of thev glass, anda IOO flat metal strip m, rectangular in form and provided with a circular aperture at each end thereof, is placed transversely upon the said wood strips, and the aforesaid strips forming the frame of the sign are connected together by the screw-threaded bolts n, which pass through the orifices in the strip m and project through the wood strip, where the parts are secured by the nut o, as shown.

The metal strip mis made somewhat wider than the wood strip, so that when in place the end edges of the glass will be overlapped, as at p, with the opposite edge of the said strip projecting from the wood equal to the width of the flat facesj of the end piece B in the manner as illustrated in Fig. at.

A hook o' is formed on the outer edge of the metal strip m of the frame and longitudinally central therewith, as shown in Fig. G.

Four signs of the above construction are located on the end pieces B, with the outer longitudinal edges of the wood strips l abutting the sides of the same and forming a hollow rectangular box surrounding the lamps. Each of the indicator-signs is held in position upon the end pieces by the clamping thumbscrews s, which enter the hook r and centrally screw-threaded aperture t, formed in the flanges j of the end pieces B. (See Fig. 5.)

To control the rotating movement of the indicator, I provide a circular flanged sleeve v, mounted upon the pipe dat one end of the indicator and interposed between the hub of the end piece and elbow, respectively. Said sleeve is provided with four lugs w, formed on the face of its circular flange and equidistant from each other. Said lugs enter the grooves w' made in the face of the said end piece, as seen in Fig. 5. This sleeve o is adjustable on the pipe d by the set-screw m.

Referring to Fig. et, fr' represents a collar mounted upon the pipe d and provided with a set-screw for giving adjustment to the same. 'y is a coil-spring surrounding the said pipe and interposed between the said collar and end piece, respectively, for the purpose 0f actuating the said end piece to engage the clutch-sleeve fu. I provide another coil-spring y at the opposite end of the indicator and interposed between the elbow and end piece, respectively, and surrounding the pipe el for the purpose of allowing an end movementof the indicator during the time the clutch is disengaged and the indicator is rotated by the operator. Upon the outer side of the end pieces B and integral therewith arms y2 extend diagonally from each corner thereof, whereby the motorman can by use of the switch-bar as carried on the dash of the car very readily reach the said arms and rotate the indicator in the desired position to give the route or terminalof the car.

By my arrangement it will be observed that the destination-signs can be quickly changed or attached to each of the four sides or faces of the end pieces, and at the same time the face of the Afront sign to be displayed can be brought to any angle by simply rotating the clutch-sleeve o and tightening up the setscrew of the same to the pipe d.

Having described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. In a street-ear sign, the combination consisting of the hollow upright standards provided at their upper ends with inward1yex tending hollow pipes, abracket mount-ed upon t-he inner end portions of usaid extending pipes and having an offset therein, a reflector attached to said bracket within the said offset, an end piece mounted and rotatable upon each of the said inwardly-extendin g pipes and close to the standards, said end piece of a rectangular form and having an outer projecting Hange around the four sides thereof and provided with a centrally-located screw-threaded opening, a thumb-screw located in each of said lian ges through said openings, a glass sign provided with a suitable metallic frame having a hook formed on either end thereof adapted to catch upon the said thumb-screws and clamped by the same to each of the four faces of the end pieces, a sleeve mounted upon the inwardly-extending pipe between the standard and end piece, respectively, and having a circular flange formed thereon with projecting lugs extending radially to the axial center of said sleeve, saidlugs adapted to enter grooves formed in the end piece, a set-screw in said sleeve for adjusting the same to the pipe, an adj ustable collar mounted upon the pipe near the inner face of the said end piece, with a coil-spring surrounding the pipe between said collar and end piece, as shown and described.

2. The combination with a street-car,of the standards secured to the roof of the car, elbows secured to the top portion of said standards, inwardly-extending pipes from said elbows and provided with eircumferentially screwthreaded ends, a bracket extending parallel with said pipes and having its ends bent to a right angle with an orifice in each extremity thereof,said bracket mounted upon the screw-threaded portions of said pipes through said orifices, with means to secure the bracket in position, a reflector attached to said bracket Within the offset formed .by the same, electric lamps secured upon the projecting ends of said pipes with a conductorwire leading therefrom and through the pipes as described, end pieces mounted and rotatable upon the horizontal pipes, close to the staudards,and having outer proj eetin g flanges extending around the four sides thereof, said end pieces provided with a centrally-located screw-threaded opening formed in each of the sides, with a thumb-screw in each of said openings, glass signs provided with suitable metallic frames extending between each of the sides of said end picceshaving a hook xoI terposed between said collar and end piece and surrounding the pipe adapted to bear against the end piece and engage the lugs of the sleeve, as shown and described.

Signed by ine at Providence, Rhode Island, this 7th day of June, A. D. 1899.

EDWARD E. DODGEa Witnesses: t

AUGUSTUS S. MILLER, THOMAS A. CARROLL. 

